Roman emperor from 249 to 251. He was the first of the great soldier emperors from the Danubian provinces. His main efforts as ruler were devoted to repelling the Goths from the Balkans, but he was defeated in the marshes of the Dubrudscha where he lost his life. He hoped to solve the pressing internal problems by reviving paganism. This led to his attempting to crush Christianity by a more violent persecution than the Church had yet experienced.